Friday, July 30, 2010

Why I killed my tv

I'm on a 40 day television fast. With that, I've also cut cable to the 2-22 version.

So here's 10 reasons I killed my tv.

10. I realized that I was watching the World Cup. I don't give a rip about soccer and I was tuned in every chance I got. TV has a way of drawing you in to care about things you don't care about.

9. Cost cutting. I cut my cable/internet bill nearly in half. I went from 80 to 45 dollars a month. 35 x 12 is $420 extra dollars to spend on things that are actually worth it...like golf. :-)

8. Less time on tv = more time with God. I'd rather be influenced by Scripture than by Real, Desperate or any other type of housewives.

7. More relevant living. I want to live a life that is adventuresome..not live vicariously through a reality show.

6. Cleveland sports suck...granted my fast will be over in time for the regular season for the Browns and I still get the stations that will carry their games...and this is our year!

5. I hate Tivo. In a commitment phobic culture, we've made it possible now that we can watch one show and tivo two others and watch them later...So we commit to all of them while committing to none of them and we spend hours in front of the television each week. It's mundane.

4. The average amount of television watched in a week is around 25 hours. That, boys and girls is over 3 hours a day. That boys and girls is 1/8 of your life in front of a television. In the words of John Piper, "Don't Waste Your Life". When you're on your death bed and reflecting on the life you lived, there ain't a single one of you that will say, "Aww Crap. I wish I would have watched all of season 7 of the Office."

3. Garbage in--Garbage out. Virtually every sitcom is crude, overtly sexual, and unintelligent. Do we wonder why our culture is largely crude, overtly sexual and unintelligent? I bet there's a tremendous parallel. Where are the days of good television, like the Cosby Show and Home Improvement. (I will say that I have one exception to this and to my no-tv rule. I watch a show called White Collar on the internet each week that is refreshingly witty and entertaining. Go add it to your Tivo...Tuesdays at 9 on USA).

2. Soapbox Television. Look at the majority of kids cartoons...the level of violence and overall darkness compared to the days of Fraggle Rock and CareBears is ridiculous. Adult shows have gone the same way. Every show has the 'token homosexual' that has to have one make out scene a season to check off the necessary soap box category.

1. Dream Stealer. TV makes it so we no longer dream dreams in our persnal lives, we just imagine what it would be like to compete on Idol, or survive on Survivor...We no longer seek life fulfillment. We trade it in for an hour of television

1 comment:

The Thompsons

We are a family that desires to trade in our small story for His grand story. We are following God's call to plant a church in Columbus, Ohio. This journey has almost cost us our daughter, but we are confident that He has called us...and that He is enough. And all it takes to change the world is a little bit of mustard.